Cork Jehovah's Witnesses lodge plans for new place of worship amid growing congregation
Plans for a new place of worship for Cork’s Jehovah's Witnesses population have been lodged with the County Council.Applicants Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of Ireland have lodged plans with the County Hall to demolish its existing place of worship at Raheen Beg in Bantry to make way for the construction of a new Kingdom Hall.In its application, the society said its Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation had grown since its last planning approval, which was granted in 2023, and that a larger meeting hall was now required.Associated site works include external lighting for health and safety purposes, accessible and general parking, the removal and replacement of its outbuilding and boundary treatments.Headquartered in Wicklow, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of Ireland is a registered charity that supports Irish Jehovah's Witnesses. Its main activities include the construction and refurbishment of places of worship for local congregations, supporting Jehovah's Witnesses abroad, assisting members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses (the Order) throughout Ireland, and providing religious education facilities used by Jehovah's Witnesses.In 2024, the society said it completed four minor projects and made preparations for a €743,000 new-build construction project in Portlaoise, which will be made into a Kingdom Hall. It took just over two months of volunteer work to construct the Portlaoise Kingdom Hall.It took just over two months of volunteer work to construct the new Kingdom Hall in Portlaoise.The society reported donations of just under €5m in 2024, closing out its financial year with reserves of over €8m.According to the most recent census data from 2022, compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there are just over 6,330 Jehovah's Witnesses living in Ireland. Cork County Council are due to decide on the plans for the new Kingdom Hall by April 2, 2026.
